The Great Big (But Totally Not Scary) List of Kids Books About Fears

A great big list of fabulous children’s books about fears – both facing fears more generally and books about specific fears too. Add them to your collection of best books for kids.

I hate swimming in deep water. Being out of my depth makes my heart race, I feel anxious and unsafe. I am not a strong swimmer so that probably doesn’t help (or maybe my fear is the reason for my lack of swimming prowess), and I have a vague memory of being pushed into a pool by an adult family member with a ‘sink or swim’ type of approach to kids learning to swim from when I was a child. I am pretty sure my fear of deep water has something to do with that.

Fortunately, neither of my children seem to have inherited my fear. Like their father, they love the water and they are both confident swimmers. But they do have other fears. As do all kids. Many childhood fears, such as fear of the dark or storms or separation anxiety, are common and most childhood fears change over time. But that knowledge doesn’t always make it easier to cope when you are feeling afraid.

And sometimes, when fears persist, the anxious feelings can begin to impact upon a child’s sense of well being and their self-belief that they are indeed able to cope in a situation where they feel afraid. As parents we can help by recognising the signs that our child feels anxious, by being available to listen and understand that the fear is very real to our child. We can provide gentle support without catering to the fear and help them to learn a range of calm down, coping strategies.

And we can read stories. Books about fears that help our children to feel less alone when they are scared or afraid. This collection of books includes both books that talk about fear in a more general sense, and books about some common childhood fears – such as fear of the dark or a fear of storms.

As always, each title includes links to an Amazon or Book Depository page (these are affiliate links) where you can find reviews and age recommendations for those you might not be personally familiar with.

The Deep by Tim Winton shares the story of Alice, who is not afraid of many things but is afraid of swimming in the deep ocean water with her family, and her struggles to overcome her fear.
Available: The Book Depository

The Dark by Lemony Snicket is a great option for school aged children who fear the dark, it feels a little scary for younger children. Lazlo is afraid of the dark until Dark befriends him and shows him that the world needs dark as well as light.
Available: Amazon | The Book Depository

Do you have a book about fears that has been helpful for your own children?

Christie Burnett is an early childhood teacher, presenter, writer and the editor of Childhood 101. More importantly, she is a Mum who believes wholeheartedly in the value of children learning through play, the importance of quality early education, and the togetherness of family.